Concepts of Simultaneity: From Antiquity to Einstein and Beyond

Max Jammer's Concepts of Simultaneity presents a comprehensive, accessible account of the historical development of an important and controversial concept—which played a critical role in initiating modern theoretical physics—from the days of Egyptian hieroglyphs through to Einstein's work in 1905, and beyond. Beginning with the use of the concept of simultaneity in ancient Egypt and in the Bible, the study discusses its role in Greek and medieval philosophy as well as its significance in Newtonian physics and in the ideas of Leibniz, Kant, and other classical philosophers. The central theme of Jammer's presentation is a critical analysis of the use of this concept by philosophers of science, like Poincaré, and its significant role in inaugurating modern theoretical physics in Einstein's special theory of relativity. Particular attention is paid to the philosophical problem of whether the notion of distant simultaneity presents a factual reality or only a hypothetical convention. The study concludes with an analysis of simultaneity's importance in general relativity and quantum mechanics.

The Johns Hopkins University Press

Max Jammer's Simultaneity offers a comprehensive and fully documented account of how the concept of simultaneity evolved throughout the centuries, from its use in ancient Egypt and the Bible, to its presence in Pre-Socratic, Aristotelian, Hellenistic and medieval philosophy, to its significance in Newtonian physics and in the philosophies of Leibniz and Kant. He discusses its function in the special and general theories of relativity and quantum mechanics, and provides insight into the ongoing present-day discourse on the conventionality thesis of distant simultaneity.

Max Jammer, who was personally acquainted with Albert Einstein while at Princeton, is former president and professor emeritus of Bar-Ilan University and author of a number of important books, mainly in the philosophy of physics. Among his numerous awards are the Prize of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the much coveted Israel Prize.